


One night in Gotham... (Damian Smith)

by paleromantic, tylerscreamingintothevoid



Series: Family Ties. [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Damian and Conner Bond, Damian eats a PIZZA, Gen, This is kinda cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2018-11-30 22:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11473239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paleromantic/pseuds/paleromantic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerscreamingintothevoid/pseuds/tylerscreamingintothevoid
Summary: Damian arrives in Gotham alone to find his father, the same night that Conner happens to be on patrol.





	1. Introductions.

**Author's Note:**

> Characters aren't mine!
> 
> This is part one of a two-part fic that's gonna be the first instalment in a series.

The streets of Gotham City were not safe at night. Everyone knew that. The shadows seemed to be full of criminals and the rooftops were seldom empty. Muggings happened more often than traffic jams, and clowns weren’t just people who worked in the circus.

The sky seemed alive, as Damian Smith made his way down the dirty sidewalk. Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, he glanced up at a sign, hoping for some clue as to where he had to go. Crime Alley. Who would want to name an alley like that?

He shrugged to himself and kept walking, trying to avoid admitting that he was completely lost.

Up on the rooftops, Superboy stretched and looked across the city. He had always enjoyed patrolling in Gotham, since there was always something to do, always bad guys to be stopped. Plus, the bats could use all the help they could get, they weren’t exactly the most functional of families, and Conner liked working with them anyway.

In Gotham, the good were bad, and the bad were worse, so people tended to just not go out so much, especially at night. Conner liked that, since he didn’t really have to worry about civilians as much. He climbed over a roof, sliding down onto the next, overlooking Crime Alley. Of all the places in Gotham, people went out of their way to avoid this alley the most. It was bad luck, they said. The ground still seemed soiled, since the Waynes' murders. So, when Conner saw a little boy, wandering alone near this particular alley, of all places, he was admittedly taken a little aback.

He dropped down silently and made his way over to the kid.

Damian noticed the man’s presence but pointedly ignored him, walking slightly faster. That made Conner frown, and he decided to follow the boy, keeping a reasonable distance. Maybe the kid’s parents were nearby? But he looked so lost....

Damian stopped under a dim streetlamp, and turned, sighing when he saw that Superboy was still following him.

“Kid, Gotham really isn’t safe at night.”

Damian pulled his jacket closer. “I’m fine.”

“Are your parents around? I can help you find them.”

“I said I’m _fine_.”

Conner sighed. “At least let me walk you home? Patrol is boring as fuck right now, it’s way too cold, even for criminals.”

Damian squinted at him. “My mother told me not to tell strangers where I live.”

“Then… let’s not be strangers! I’m C-... Superboy.” He sighed. “I’m Superboy.”

“Damian.”

Conner nodded and grinned. “Now that we’re not strangers, let me walk you home?”

“I can walk on my own."

Conner groaned. “God, I love pre-teens. Where are you staying?”

“Nowhere yet.”

Conner frowned again. Nowhere? No way was this kid alone in Gotham.

“What? How..”

Damian started to walk away, shaking his head. “I’m new around here.”

“You’re like… 6 years old! What are you doing in Gotham alone?”

“I’m looking for someone.” Damian set his jaw, looking much older for a moment.

“Who is it? I can help!” Conner walked towards him.

“I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret.”

Conner groaned and rubbed his face. “C’mon kid, I can’t leave you alone. Batman….. won’t kill me, but him and his little birds will look all disappointed and I can’t handle that shit.”

“I just can’t tell you, alright?”

“Fine, fine don’t tell me then! But I’m helping you find somewhere safe to stay until you find them. So, would you rather me find you a hotel or stay with me?”

“... Stay with you.”

Conner smirked and ruffled his hair, making him complain and pout. “Then let’s go!”

Conner walked off, waiting for the boy to follow him. He waited until they were on a safer street to take out his phone, calling one of his friends.

It was a while before Roy Harper answered the phone, which made sense considering he had been sleeping when Conner called. “Mmh…?”

“Red? Dude, I need a favour.”

Roy rubbed his eyes and sat up at the use of his codename. “Yeah, Supes?”

“There’s a kid here, he was wandering alone and I told him I’d find him somewhere to crash. Can we stay with you?”

“Yeah, okay, the couch is free.” Roy stretched, his shoulders popping.

“Awesome, thanks man. Want me to pick up a pizza?”

“Yessir. See you soon, I’ll clean up a little.”

Conner hung up and looked down at the kid. “Usually, I’d take the rooftops out of the city, but if you wanna take a bus?”

Damian shifted on his feet. “Rooftops are fine. Where does your friend live?”

“Bludhaven. Gotham ain’t a nice place to live, Kid.” Conner shrugged. “Now, get on my back.”

 

*****************************************************

 

“Well damn, what a hot pizza guy.”

Conner rolled his eyes and grinned. “Shut up, Red. Nice new uniform, by the way.”

Roy was wearing his mask, as well as a pink shirt and red, fluffy, pyjama pants. He laughed. “Hey, don’t tease.”

Conner blew him a kiss and then shivered. “Let us in, it’s freezing!”

Roy groaned and moved out of the way, yawning. “Mi casa.. whatever casa.”

Conner put the pizza box down on the table, and put Damian down, pulling off his jacket. “Red, Damian, Damian, Red.”

Damian looked the man over. “A pleasure, I suppose.”

Conner flopped down on the couch, stretching. “We had to haul ass all the way from Gotham, it’s almost arctic out there.”

Roy immediately went to the pizza box, opening it. “Good.”

“You love food more than me.” Conner pouted, and then looked at Damian. “Siddown, eat something.”

Damian hadn’t taken off anything, and closed the door, standing beside it. “I’m fine.”

“Kid, we’re not gonna hurt you. When’s the last time you ate?”

“.. Around three days.” He looked over at Roy, who was already on his second slice.

Conner looked fucking _worried_. “Dude, eat something please.”

Damian groaned and took a slice, taking a small bite. It tasted…. really good. He took a few more bites, and then held it. His grandfather and his mother had never had food like this, and the taste was completely foreign to him. His life before travelling to America had been.. efficient, but not enjoyable.

“It’s…” Damian ate more, which made Conner laugh.

After they had demolished the pizza, Conner sat back and yawned. “So kid, who were you looking for in Gotham?”

Damian ignored him.

“Damian, come on, we can help you!”

“No.”

“Must’ve been important, right?”

Damian looked at him. “What?”

“Whoever you were looking for. They must be important.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s my business!”

“What can you tell me?”

Damian said nothing.

“Sounds like family issues, if you asked me.” Conner was pushing his luck, he could see that, but he didn’t care.

“You could say that.”

“Mom or Dad?” Damian frowned.

“They’re.. separated.”

Conner nodded and frowned. “So you were looking for one of them?”

“It’s none of your business, Superboy.”

Roy cut them both off. “Kid, you need some sleep too, you must be exhausted.”

“I sleep a maximum of two hours.”

Roy and Conner shared a concerned glance, and Conner shook his head. “Kid, you’re like 12, what’s your damage?”

Damian looked confused, so Conner tried again.

“Why don’t you sleep?”

“I guess I don’t need to?”

Conner sighed. “Okay, so what do you wanna do?” Red has some video games, if you want to play? He has some shitty first person shooters, but I think he has Mario Kart so?”

Roy rolled his eyes, and Damian shook his head. “I don’t know what either of those things are.”

“You’ve never played Mario Kart? Learning experience, coming right up.”

 

**********************************************************

 

Damian smirked, gripping the controller. “New round, Superboy. Actually try to beat me this time!”

Conner rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, Gremlin, I’ll get there.”

“What is a gremlin.”

“.... Nevermind.”

They played for a long time, Damian eventually letting Conner win a few times. Conner would probably never admit it, but he wished he had a little brother like Damian, if he was honest. He was a little rough around the edges, sure, but… he was a good kid.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope to update this soon!

“I want to go training today.”

Conner raised an eyebrow. “Training?” 

Damian nodded. “I.. do sports?”

Conner didn’t push the subject.

 

The gym in Bludhaven was quite a large building, clean and well lit, and well stocked with every kind of training equipment a person could ask for. Damian was impressed, even though it didn’t even come near what he had been used to at home. He looked around, evaluating the place, before going to where the punching bags were. Conner, on the other hand, went directly to the weights, trying to challenge himself.

Damian set to work doing stretches, pushing himself and gritting his teeth. He was so distracted with his exercises that he didn’t notice a boy of a similar age walking up to him.

“Nice shorts, loser. Have you ever even been to a gym before?”

Damian attempted to ignore him, stretching out his back. However, the boy didn’t go away.  

“I said, have you ever been to a gym before? You should really leave this to people who know what they’re doing.”

Damian looked at him, and then stood up, going to the weights. 

The boy chuckled. “You know, there’s a Junior Gym down the street.” 

Damian dropped the weights on his feet. The boy yelped and hopped, but tried his best to keep a straight face. Damian squinted, looking the kid over as if trying to plsn something, before punching him in the stomach and grabbing his hair. He dragged the boy over, slamming his head off of the nearest exercise machine. “Do. Not. Talk to me like that. Ever. Again.”

The boy’s nose began to bleed, and he groaned, making guttery noises and clutching his gut. Damian kneed him in the crotch, grabbing the kids arm and twisting it, until the boy started to cry.

Conner, who had been looking for Damian, rushed over, prying the two of them apart. Damian broke away from him, pulling a dagger from his backpack and holding it to the boys throat. Conner widened his eyes and dragged Damian away, to the changing room.

“What the fuck was that, Damian.” Conner tightened his grip, almost painful.

“He was disrespectful.”

“You almost killed him.”

“And?” Damian looked positively petulant, pouting. “That’s what I was going for.”

“Who the fuck are you.” Conner growled. “No fucking around.”

“I am.. the son of someone very important, and I shall not be treated like a child.” 

“Names, Damian. Who are your parents.” 

“No.”

“You almost killed him, Damian. This isn’t a joke… If Robin, or Batman..”

Damian flinched. “Please don’t tell them.” 

“What? Why not?” 

“I don’t like them.”

Conner raised an eyebrow. “That implies that you know them personally.”

They bickered back and forth for a while, before Conner shook his head. “Listen, Damian. You wanna spar with someone, you spar with me. Got it?”

“.... Fine.”

They walked back out into the main gym, Conner looking smug and Damian looking somewhat ashamed. Conner pulled off his shirt, so he was in a simple tank top.

“Ready to spar, kid?”

Damian smirked and nodded.

*************************************************************

Leaving Damian with Roy, Conner had reluctantly went back in patrol, hitting the streets the same as he usually did. He had warned Damian to stay at Roy’s, the kid wouldn’t be able to avoid the bats if he didn’t.

Damian, of course, didn’t listen. He didn’t care much for orders, especially those which came from a man in spandex. 

Conner, unaware of this, went about his patrol as normal, mostly just chilling on rooftops. Most nights were pretty quiet, so he normally just found somewhere to sit and watch the sky.

Suddenly, a woman’s scream tore through the air, making him jump to his feet, going towards the source of the noise as fast as possible. However, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t going to get there on time to stop it. Cursing, he sped up as much as possible.

Damian had heard it too, and knew he could get there on time to stop what was about to happen. The poor lady was putting up quite the fight, but the man was much bigger than her, and he was grabbing at her handbag. Damian felt himself get angry, and flung himself at them, helping the woman. He brought him to the ground, slamming his head against the asphalt repeatedly, before pulling another dagger, similar to the one that Conner had confiscated. 

Conner had been right on his heels and watched this happen, from the shadows, stepping out when he saw the glint of the dagger and disarming the boy efficiently. The kid was wearing black robes, he looked like some sort of ninja. 

“Dude, I told you to stay at home!”

“You weren’t going to be able to help her.” Damian glared, and handed the bag back to the woman, who thanked him, smiling, and made her way down the street. Conner called the police, and then pulled Damian up onto the rooftops. 

“Why don’t you listen.” 

Damian shrugged, crossing his arms. 

“Fucking Gremlin.” Conner grumbled, heading to the nearest fire escape and making his way to the roof.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian finally meets his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last part of One Night! The story will continue in the next parts of the series, this part was just cincerned with Damian's arrival to Gotham.
> 
> Characters aren't mine, thank you for reading!

Conner grunted, pulling his chin up to the bar one last time before dropping to the mat, grabbing his water bottle and taking a long drink, putting it back down and almost jumping into the mirror when he heard a voice come from his elbow.

“Spar with me.”

Connor groaned and turned around. “What did I say about sneaking around.”

Damian rolled his eyes, and looked up at the bar, huffing. “Your training is boring. Spar with me.”

“It’s not _boring_ , it keeps me strong.” Conner sat down, wiping his arms with a towel. “WHy do you want to spar with me? You’re just a kid.”

Damian bristled, and held his chin up, haughtily. “I am not a child.”

Conner snorted and patted his shoulder. “Sure you’re not. Come on, let’s go play video games, okay?”

Damian held his resolve, staring up at the man before sighing. “Fine, but this time I get to choose!”

Conner grinned and pulled on his hoodie. “Fine, fine.”

 

*******************************************

 

“You need to stop following me on patrol.” Conner growled, holding the boy against a wall. “It’s not safe.”

“I can handle myself, Superboy. I don’t need a babysitter.” Damian squirmed in his grip. “Let me go, asshole. There’s still a lot of crime going on.”

“Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the Bats, when they get here.”

“Batman?” Damian paused, and stared at him.

“No, Catman. Of course it’s fucking Batman, Dami, who else would it be?”

“Y-You can’t call him.” Damian gritted his teeth. “That would ruin everything.”

“..... What.”

While Conner was too busy processing what the kid had just said, Damian managed to wriggle out of his grip, running to the edge of the roof and stepping off.

“Kid, wait-”

Conner groaned and walked over to the edge of the roof, looking down. An empty street. He took a deep breath before looking out over the city. “He’d better have gone home.”

 

***********************************************

 

Roy groaned and turned on the shower, letting it run as he went to make coffee, rubbing his eyes. Crime fighting really fucked up his sleep schedule, which was usually just whenever he got the chance. Conner and the kid really weren’t helping with it, coming in randomly and waking him up with shouting, or food. The food, he didn’t mind so much. The shouting _sucked_.

They weren’t home yet, though, so Roy had some peace and quiet all for himself, which he wanted to cherish while he had it. He turned the kettle on, the low whistling keeping the silence at bay as he stretched out his back muscles, yawning. He piled instant coffee into his cup, making it strong and drinking it black. Running on less than three hours of sleep didn’t leave room for cream and sugar. He took a sip, wincing at the intense bitterness, but nevertheless waking up a sufficient amount to function. He checked his phone, pausing on a text from Conner.

_Check the kid’s bags._

He frowned and put his mug down, going out to where the kid had left his bags, locked up. Roy whined and begrudgingly went back to his room, emerging with a hairpin, and setting to work picking the locks.

The opened the bags up, and the contents were… mundane. Some clothes, shoes, a toothbrush. He pulled those out, keeping them folded the way the kid had had them, and made his way down to the bottom of the bag. A glint of gold caught his eye, and he stopped, before reaching down and pulling it out carefully.

“What the _fuck_.”

The dagger he had pulled out was beautiful, razor sharp, with what looked like a real gold hilt, with inset precious gems. It looked like it was worth more money than Roy would ever come into contact with in his life.

“Who is this fucking kid, man.” He shook his head and took a picture of it, sending it to Conner, before putting everything besides the dagger back into the bag, locking it again.

_Perfect, thanks, can you call Dick and ask him to get his ass to your place as fast as possible?_

Roy rolled his eyes and dialled Nightwing’s number, grumbling about not being able to say no to people. Well, superpeople.

***************************************************

 

Conner cracked his back muscles before unlocking the door to Roy’s apartment, grinning when he saw a familiar face.

“Damn, Golden boy. You look about as good as Roy, and Roy looks like shit.”

He heard a shuffle from the kitchen, and his friend’s voice. “Hey, Roy has feelings!”

He laughed and sat down. “You need some sleep, Dickie.”

Dick Grayson looked tired, wearing a faded t-shirt and jeans, very different to how he usually looked, but he still looked happy, which Conner just couldn’t understand. How was the man so damn _cheerful_ all the time?

“I’m fine. You need somethin’?”

Conner chewed his lip, and put up a finger before going to retrieve the pair of daggers. “I need your opinion on these.”

Dick took the daggers, inspecting them closely. “These are some…. weird inscriptions. Where did you get these, Conner?”

“A friend.”

Dick looked at him. “Keep that friend close, they could be very dangerous.”

Conner frowned. “Really?”

Dick nodded. “Can I.. keep these? I need to look at them closer.”

“Yeah, of course man, thank you. Uh, one thing though.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t involve any of the bats. If they get too close, my.. friend, he’ll bolt.”

Dick thought for a while before nodding slowly. “Of course.”

 

*****************************************************

 

“Damian, why are you on the roof.”

Damian looked sideways from where he was, lying on his back on the apex of part of the roof. Conner was frowning and looked worried. Damian hated that.

“Go away.”

“Kid, I was so worried, what are you doing out here in the cold?”

“Roy said I was rude, he told me to get out.”

“How were you rude?”

“I ordered him to purchase pizza. He refused.”

Conner snorted and sat down. “That was rude, Kiddo.”

“It was efficient.”

“No pizza, though.”

“....Shut up.”

They sat in silence for a while, Conner leaning his back against the wall and Damian watching the sky. Bludhaven was alive around them, they could head cars and people talking farm below. Conner turned to look at the kid, watching him for a while

“Hey, Damian?” Damian didn’t reply.

“Have you ever had a best friend?” He pushed himself up, sitting straight.

“I’ve never had any friend.” Damian’s tone was short and clipped.

“Me neither, really. Just Roy.”

Damian went back to watching the clouds.

“Do you… want to be friends?”

“You want to be my friend.” Damian looked sceptical.

“Yeah! We could be best friends, Dami.”

Damian frowned. “What do best friends do?”

Conner bit his lip, considering his words. “They… talk and stuff. They tell each other everything.”

Damian was silent, still looking doubtful. “You first, then.”

  
"Uh... I'm really young. Like, less than a year old. Your turn."   
  
Damian looked away. "My name's not really Smith." He clenched his jaw.   
  
Conner nodded. "What is it then?"   
  
Damian smirked. "Your turn."   
  
Conner rolled his eyes. "I'm a clone."   
  
"A clone of Superman?'   
  
Conner nodded uncomfortably. He didn’t like thinking about it, it made him feel funny, and made his insecurities more noticeable.   
  
"I'm an assassin."   
  
Conner widened his eyes. "Uh, I've killed people before. When I first woke up here."   
  
"I've killed a lot of people."   
  
"When I woke up, Superman was dead. I had no one to show me how to use my powers."   
  
Damian nodded awkwardly, and frowned. "That's sad."   
  
Conner shrugged. "It’s life, kid. Why were you in Gotham?"   
  
"I need to find my father. I was putting it off, you provided a good distraction..." Damians voice had an almost nervous edge,   
  
"Your father?"   
  
Damian nodded and picked at his sleeve, looking down at his hands.   
  
"Who’s your father?”

  
"Your turn first."   
  
"None of the people that should help me want to talk to me, it fucks me up more than I'll admit."   
  
"My grandfather brought me up as a weapon, he never cared about me."   
  
Conner frowned. "I can only work in Gotham because no one else trusts me."   
  
"I am the Son of Batman.."   
  
Conner almost fell off the roof, a shocked laugh escaping him. "You're _joking_."   
  
"I am not." Damian’s face was grim.   
  
"Batman. Like.... Batman."   
  
"No, Batman like Aquaman." The kid rolled his eyes.   
  
"Shut up. Who's your mom?"   
  
"I can't tell you that."   
  
"Why not?"   
  
"I just can't."   
  
Conner paused, before nodding. "So... what’s your last name?"   
  
Damian stood up, and went to the edge of the roof. "Wayne."   
  
Conner widened his eyes. This kid wasn't fucking around. "So... how are you gonna tell him?"   
  
"I'll go to him now, I suppose. Tell him the truth."   
  
Conner nodded. "I can go with you, if you’d like?"   
  
Damian bit his lip. He realised he was still in Bludhaven. He had no way of getting to Gotham, aside from walking.   
  
"Maybe.... Maybe bring me to Gotham, then leave me alone. You’ve been of great service. My katana is underneath your couch though, I’ll need it back."   
  
Conner nodded. "Of course.. you want to go right now?"   
  
Damian nodded. "Right now."   
  
Together, they gathered Damian’s thing, getting him ready to go. "Ready to meet your dad, kid?"   
  
Damian nodded, but he seemed anxious. Conner watched him, before nodding and picking him up, bringing him back to Gotham. He set him down close to Wayne Manor, and Damian swallowed stiffly, looking at the huge building. Conner had to admit, it was quite intimidating to look at.   
  
Damian cleared his throat. "Goodbye.... friend."   
  
"Are you sure you don’t want me to come?" Conner was worried.   
  
"I'm sure, don't worry… Thank you for the pizza, Conner."   
  
Conner nodded and smiled softly, but looked sad. "You need a place to crash again, you know where to find me, kid."

Damian smiled and turned, starting the walk out to the mansion.

  
  
*********************************************

  
  
Damian knocked on the front door slowly, dwarfed by its size. He had no idea what to expect now that he was finally here. He had been looking forward to this for years. He waited, before knocking again impatiently.   
  
It took a few minutes, but then an aged, distinguished looking man answered the door, wearing formal butler attire. He looked kind. "Hello, young sir. May I help you?"   
  
Damian looked up at him, weighing his words before he spoke.   
  
"I'm here to see my father."   


"....May I ask your name?"  
  
Damian stood up a little straighter, nodding. "Damian. Damian Wayne Al Ghul. I'm here to see my father."   
  
Alfred paused for a little longer than absolutely necessary, and nodded stiffly. “A moment, please.

He called for Bruce, who came to the door soon after, wearing a comfortable looking suit.   
  
"This boy is here to see you, sir."   
  
Damian had crossed his arms as he waited, and had been looking around the main hall of the manor, before stopping when he saw Bruce. He bowed in respect in front of him.   
  
"Father."   
  
Bruce’s face was ashen, he looked like he was about to throw up. "Talia...?"   
  
"My mother, yes."   
  
"She told me.... no, this isn’t possible..."   
  
Damian was persistent, and assured him that he was in fact, his child.   
  
"Mother told me I needed to see you, and learn from you. Please let me."

  
Bruce stared at him. It was like looking in a mirror, there was no denying the resemblance.

  
  
"... Of course, Damian. Come in."

 


End file.
